Thank you Netgalley, Bookouture Audio and JD Kirk for the audio Arc of My Daughter is Missing,
Narrated by Cathleen McCarron

I'm ashamed to say this is the first JD Kirk books that Ive read and what have I been missing?!! I sat and listened to this one pretty much in one sitting as it was so captivating, We follow our main protagonist, who takes her daughter, Hollie to a school but when she goes to pick her up. She has gone missing. No one knows or has seen her. In a panic, Elizebeth recruits her sister to help her find her daughter and the mis-endevours that happen on the way.

What I like about this book is you are constantly questioning where this book is going. Is Elizebeth an unreliable narrator? Are the police really that unhelpful? Why has no one seen Hollie? The pacing and the plot spins you around a few times and then sets you off in a direction that I didn't expect for a while. I did however pick up on some very clear foreshadowing. Something else I love about speculative psychological thrillers. It keeps you guessing but if you read/listen well, the answers are there for you to find. I loved the big finale.

This book was also narrated by Cathleen McCarron. A new narrator for me but I absolutely loved her voice. It suited the mystery/thriller and pacing of this book completely.

4.5 stars for Storygraph, 4 stars for other review sites.

JD Kirk keeps the reader guessing throughout with this twisty mystery following Elizabeth, a woman whose daughter goes missing as her own secrets threaten to get in the way of her frantic search. It's well written and the narrator is great! There's some pretty gritty themes so be cautious if you're sensitive.

JD Kirk will keep you guessing in My Daughter Is Missing. This psychological thriller depicts any loving parent's worst nightmare: a child is abducted from a school event on Halloween night. Elizabeth, the main female character and single-parent, refuses to notify the police after she learns that her daughter Holly is missing. Is Elizabeth a unreliable narrator, or are the police genuinely not trustworthy? This tensive narrator technique heightens the pacing which is interspersed with dark, biting humor. My reviews are usually longer, but I do not want to spoil anyone's read. The pacing and content reminded me of Freida McFadden, S B Caves, and Gillian Flynn.

Audiobook: I am an audiobook enthusiast. I have my top 10 narrators that I will listen to, even if I don't know the author. I highly recommend Cathleen McCarron. She is more than a narrator; McCarron is a voice actor. Her work draws you into the story. Her range for voice acting is exceptional. I truly appreciated the accent; it built the story credibility.

My only dislike: the author held back for too long regarding why Elizabeth did not want to contact the police.

Thank you to #JDKirk, #CathleenMcCarron, #BookoutureAudio, and #NetGalley for my audiobook-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Invested from the beginning!
This book has you questioning everything.
Fun, easy to follow and, for me, mildly predictable ending. Which took zero value away from the ride this story takes you on.

Not my favorite and maybe it’s because of the Scottish accent throughout the audiobook I know that meshes with the story, but I found it distracting. I didn’t feel invested in the story. .

I’ve only read JD Kirk book before, A Litter Of Bones, around the time I was moving away from Police Procedurals. Seeing this new Psychological Thriller gave me the spark to try another one of his books.

My Daughter Is Missing tells Elizabeth’s story as she searches desperately for her nine-year-old daughter Hollie, who disappeared from a school Halloween disco. Elizabeth has secrets and won’t involve the Police or tell her partner the truth, it’s just her and her sister Sasha searching.

I really got into it as Elizabeth tries everything she can think of to try and track down her daughter. There’s a rich strand of sarky, often bleak humour. Cathleen McCarron does a brilliant job as narrator, looking at her credits she did Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine and many Val McDermid audiobooks that I’ve enjoyed. You know you’re in safe hands.

There’s a particular twist which I wasn’t keen on, I’ve read it several times before and it very rarely comes off. It’s a shame, as soon as I suspected it was coming it affected my enjoyment. The effect that it will have on you depends how many times you’ve seen it done before.

Overall, very good, and the audiobook narration is excellent!

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture Audio

This book is full of drama and betrayal. I don't know how to give a review of this book without giving away spoilers. It's a page turner, and will have your emotions engaged.

3.75-4⭐️

I had the audiobook performed by Cathleen mcCarron who does a good job, the Scottish accent is subtle making it accessible for a wide audience.

Holly goes missing at a school Halloween disco, how did she get past her mom Elizabeth at the tuck shop, and why won’t she alert the police?

A departure from Kirk’s very popular Scottish crime series with this Scottish based Psychological thriller. It keeps the same short snappy fast paced chapters as his crime series. It has an easy going chatty style.

There’s a lot going on, it gets quite dark, but I found after a high tension start that for much of the book the tension levels were much lower. There was the constant wondering about the lack of action in one regard of the mother. It utilises one of the tropes that isn’t a favourite for me, as it also uses several other tropes, so it worked ok for me.

For a first delve into psychological thriller I feel that it’s accomplished, it’s a wild entertaining ride, but still managed to lag in the mid section for me with everything coming to a head at the end. I hope that he pursues in this genre.

I was completely surprised by the ending. What I thought was happening wasn’t it at all. I really enjoyed the suspense and story line. As a mom, it makes you wonder what lengths you would go to if you were in this situation. The characters were really dimensional and had depth as well. I enjoyed this story.

JD Kirk is a new author to me and I shall certainly be hunting out more of his books.

This wasn't what I was expecting, the pace was more frenetic and that, plus the narration coupled with my own active imagination had me turning this into a French farce at times ( with added gore).

I'd score this a 3.5 which is purely personal. The characterisation was good and the pace as described above was fast. However I still found some areas felt quite slow, especially in the middle. Lots of allusions to deep dark secrets which were somewhat explained. I worked the main twist out partway into the book so would have liked more around this but appreciate unless it were to be revealed earlier it would be hard to do.

It is quite difficult to review this fully without spoilers. On the whole I enjoyed it and suggest you settle down one afternoon, suspend belief and prepare to be entertained.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARaC which was very much appreciated.

This book was a true Rollercoaster ride full of twists and turns. I really enjoyed this author and will be recommending this book to all of my fellow readers! I look forward to reading more books by this author.

My Daughter Is Missing is the author’s first dabble into the psych thriller genre. As the DCI Jack Logan books are one of my favourite series, I was eager to dive in.

The book starts with a familiar scene, the PTA fundraising disco. Elizabeth has drawn the short straw, manning the snack table; the self appointed Queen Bee, Mabel Walker, allocating her the worst job. Meaning she is unable to see her daughter, Hollie, enjoying herself. As the monotonous evening draws to a close, it becomes apparent that Hollie has inexplicably disappeared.

The story starts at a pace, wasting no time. Hollie’s disappearance and Elizabeth’s desperate search for her, raise many questions. It quickly becomes clear that Elizabeth is hiding secrets. Secrets that have put her beloved daughter at risk, and secrets that make her isolated in her fear.

The characterisation is as good as you would expect from JD Kirk. The cast are all fully formed individuals, with their quirks and insecurities in tow. Though Elizabeth’s backstory is intentionally vague.

The narration is strong and sinister, giving a good sense of place, keeping me interested. Each character is distinctive and nuanced. Mabel’s voice in particular is perfect. When I hear it, it feels like someone is running their nails down a blackboard, which is how Elizabeth must feel when she hears her voice too.

I found myself a little frustrated during the middle part of the book. The story started at a pace, but then didn’t seem to progress at the same level, though the twists and turns kept coming. As the pages keep turning, everyone’s secrets are revealed in all their glory.

I found the ending to be slightly ambiguous, the intention possibly being for readers to join up the dots in their own minds. I did see part of the plot, before the reveal, but maybe this was part of the plan of the author. I love reading the DCI Jack Logan series, and I wanted to love this book too, but I just don’t think I was the right fit for the book. I can’t quite put my finger on why, but I didn’t quite connect with it.

What is even happening! Elizabeth’s 9 year old daughter Hollie is missing. Apparently they had gotten into a fight and mom has some secrets. She says she will do anything to find her daughter, but proceeds to illogically blame everyone for her disappearance while trying to find Hollie herself. But, there is no reason she would create such chaos and not alert the police to help her.

Elizabeth’s sister Sasha is insane! I almost thought she was an Elizabeth’s split personality.

There is no backstory at all. The book just eludes to some mysterious nefarious past. But, nothing that connects to what would happen to Holly. The author provides no information to help the reader try to guess what is happening.

If this was not an ARC I would have DNFed it.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. It will be published April 16, 2025

Elizabeth's 9 year old daughter goes missing at the end of a school celebration event triggering a wild roller-coaster ride of twists, turns and sinister events.
Fast-paced, gripping and intriguing right until the very last twist.
Expertly narrated creating a truly immersive experience.
I am grateful to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced listener copy of this gripping psychological thriller.

Finished this book in one day! I kept trying to guess the ending and had all sorts of predictions on what the outcome would be. Lots of surprises along the way that I wasn’t expecting though. Great narration and phenomenal book that keeps you wondering what the ending will be.

Release: April 16, 2025
Author: JD Kirk
Publisher: Bookouture

Rating: 4.25 ★ 

When Christine arrives at school to pick up her nine-year-old daughter, Hollie, she is met with a nightmare—Hollie is gone. As panic sets in, the teacher offers to call the police, but Christine refuses. She knows she can’t involve them, because doing so might reveal secrets she’s kept buried for years.
Convinced that Hollie has been taken and that someone from her past is behind it, Christine embarks on a desperate search to get her daughter back. But with every step, the danger intensifies, and the truth about her past slowly unravels. As time runs out, Christine must confront her darkest fears and make impossible choices to save her daughter before it’s too late.

JD Kirk delivers a pulse-pounding psychological thriller with My Daughter Is Missing, blending heart-pounding suspense with emotional depth. The story hooks you right away—Hollie, a nine-year-old girl, disappears after school, and her mother makes the shocking decision not to call the police. From there, the tension only escalates as secrets unravel and the past comes crashing into the present.
The protagonist’s desperation and fear are palpable, making it impossible not to be drawn into her frantic search. The writing is sharp, the pacing relentless, and the twists keep coming. Kirk masterfully keeps the reader guessing—just when you think you have it figured out, the story takes another unexpected turn. The emotional weight of a mother’s worst nightmare is woven throughout, making this book not just a thriller but also an emotional rollercoaster.
Overall, this is a gripping, unputdownable read that will have you racing to the final page. If you love psychological thrillers with high stakes and shocking twists, this one is a must-read.

Favorite Quote:
"justice isn't always about punishment; sometimes it's about finding the truth."

I haven't read/listened to this author's books before and so had no idea on requesting this from NetGalley that he'd written so many!
His experience is clear though from the smooth way that this book flowed.
I could feel Elizabeth's anxiety grow as the book progressed and in the twisty way that the story has gripped me for the last few days.
I would have loved a bit more from the ending, I still have unanswered questions, but perhaps there's going to be a second book?
I really enjoyed the narrator chosen for the story, a great match.
Thanks very much to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio, for the audio ARC in exchange for my thoughts.

Thank you NetGalley, the author JD Kirk and Bookouture Audio for this ALC.

Fast paced story that kept me on the edge of my seat. The narrator did a great job bringing this story to life. Highly recommend!

I loved this one! Very high suspense with nonstop action. So many twists and turns! I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was phenomenal!!

This is a great book filled with chaotic energy and a fast paced story that kept me on the edge of my seat. The narrator was great and helped me feel immersed in the story. Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC! Highly recommend!